Month: January 2015

I love quotes. They’re relatable, honest and true. Every now and then, I’ll hear or read a quote and be like, “wow, I would totally live by that.” Aside from my usual favorites from Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Blow, here are three that I love.

For all of those who know me, you know what I refer to as the “troll.” If you don’t, well let me explain it to you. The “troll” is when I quickly throw my hair up into a messy bun on top of my head, like the hair of a troll. When I’m having a rough day or my hair just isn’t cooperating, I resort to the troll. Well, I thought it was about time for the troll to mature a little with help from… my leg warmer. Leg warmer, you ask? YEP! No need to purchase one of those store-bought spongy donuts, or even to cut up a perfectly good sock. Why not just use a leg warmer that ALREADY has a hole on both ends. I discovered this last night when I was looking through my sock drawer and realized I don’t have any long socks, but I did have this one lonely leg warmer who’s pair was MIA. So this (left) becomes this (middle) which becomes this (right) all in less than …

Thai food — oh how I love you. Maybe it’s the rich flavor or the spice & heat… or maybe it’s just because it’s SO GOOD! Tonight I went out to dinner with my boyfriend and his grandma to Bangkok Peppers for some good ole Thai food. So, where I grew up, there were TONS of Thai food restaurants around me. Heck, I could go to probably three different Bangkok Cuisines or Little Thai Express within 15 minutes. That said, it was quite a transition to move to a city where I was afraid that not even ONE was near me. Thankfully, Bangkok Peppers came the rescue.

Happy Thursday! Has this week been crawling to the finish line or what? The one thing that was getting me through the day was knowing that a platter of sushi was waiting for me. I got together with an old friend today for a sushi date at one of my favorite places in Rochester: Take Sushi. Not only are you greeted with a smiling face, but these people have the greatest hospitality ever! This has become one of my go-tos in the area. Upon taking your seat, you are brought a warm wet hand towel to cleanse your hands along with the beverage of your choice. Prior to the meal, enjoy complimentary miso soup and a ginger house salad. And before you know it, the sushi platter is coming your way!

Oh, Mondays… how I dread you and look forward to you at the exact same time. Literally, I wish it could be the weekend all of the time but the weekdays help keep me on track. That means another fabulous meal to come. So tonight’s dinner consisted of a three-course meal (yeah, I’m getting fancy over here).

I’ve been on a quinoa craze lately and have been heavily trying to avoid carbs. So tonight I was debating on whether or not I wanted to use quinoa in place of brown rice for my recipe. Although quinoa was really tempting, brown rice will better absorb the flavors. No guilt though since brown rice is pretty good for you in comparison to white rice. Okay, so what did I make? Grab your appetite and a big hefty plate because it’s Yellow Curry Chicken Fried Rice! Packed with veggies, protein and a kick of heat, this meal was simply indulgent and felt like a guilty pleasure.

I use to LOVE pasta, and I mean love. Maybe it was because it was so quick & easy to make or maybe because I use to have a weakness for carbs! Since then, I’ve turned over a new leaf. I limit myself to pasta once in a while, but tonight I can enjoy it guilt-free because… it’s made from spaghetti squash! I’ve been looking for carb substitutes this week – from yesterday’s cauliflower crust veggie pizza to tonight’s Spaghetti Squash Pasta with Spicy Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce. Mmm, mmm good! You won’t even miss the carbs.

I woke up this morning feeling fabulous! Of course, started my day off at the gym & was very proud to see the numbers on the scale… I had officially reached my goal weight. Woo! I had been tracking my progress with my app-synced scale at home but for some reason it was giving me two different numbers today… so I needed a second reading. To reward myself, I thought another fantastic avocado brunch was necessary. My boyfriend had gone grocery shopping yesterday and picked up a carton of eggs, and I still had a little bit of quinoa mixture in the fridge. Behold, baked avocados two ways!

The weekends are meant for playing catch-up on tasks and errands, spending extra time at the gym and cooking meals that we actually have time to make — all things that we’re too busy to do effectively during the work week. My morning began with an hour and a half long workout at the gym followed by a chocolate banana protein shake and this beautiful masterpiece for brunch.

If I could choose one thing (okay, two things) to bring with me to a deserted island, food-wise, it would easily be sushi and Thai food. Maybe it’s my Asian heritage or my incredibly flavor-loving palette but I could literally eat these every single day. Yes, LITERALLY. I’ve made my attempt at making basic California sushi rolls before and it was a success. I still, however, need to invest in a sushi rolling mat and knowing me, the proper serving dishes as well. I’ve attempted Thai-like dishes before so hopefully this one isn’t too difficult. Most of the staple ingredients I do have on hand, and those that I don’t, well… I’ll just do my best to omit and substitute, per usual! Since I’m trying to cut down on carbs, I thought “zoodles” (zucchini noodles) would be a great substitute, along with some spiralized zucchini squash. And… drum roll please… TA DA! There you have it, a delicious bowl of zoodles and veggies topped with chicken all tossed in a spicy peanut sauce.